Omega Fire Ministries has reacted to the botched arrest of its General Overseer, Apostle Johnson Suleiman in Ekiti on Wednesday, January 25 morning
- The church said Buhari ordered a truckload of DSS operatives to arrest Suleiman who went to Ekiti for a crusade
- The church faulted the action of the President Buhari, saying he has not arrested his kinsmen that are killing Nigerians in Southern Kaduna but attempt arresting an harmless man of God
The Omega Fire Ministries has responded to the attempted arrest of the church’s General Overseer, Apostle Johnson Suleiman in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, on Wednesday morning, January 25, 2017.
The church’s media director, Dr. Sule Emmanuel and the coordinator of the church’s legal team, Samuel Amune, in a jointly signed statement, said Apostle Suleiman is safe and the attempted arrest that was ordered from Abuja was unsuccessful.
President Muhammadu Buhari
The duo, who described President Muhammadu’s government as tyrannical, said Buhari ordered two truckloads of fully armed DSS officials to forcefully arrest a man of God, but the people and government of Ekiti state overwhelmingly resisted the arrest of Suleiman.
The statement read in part: “Let it be on record that this assault occurred around 1am in the morning of Wednesday. Apostle Johnson Suleman is not facing any corruption charge neither is there any petition against him. The attempted arrest being masterminded by the presidency against him is unconstitutional, morally wrong and procedurally defective.
“This country was founded on the principles of equality before the law and justice. There should be strict adherence to the spirit and letters of our constitution and nobody should be treated as a common criminal. As the country belongs to every one of us irrespective of religion and social status.
“By the way, the man of God in his prophecies for the year 2017 which he issued before the end of 2016 had already informed the public how God showed him that in 2017 the government of President Buhari will come after him because of his stand against the policies and actions of the government. But God is ever faithful to protect his anointed from the oppressors.”
The statement said no responsible government in the world ever makes religious leaders their object of attack, noting that rather than attack them, they rally round them to see how to forestall crisis and foster unity.
Apostle Johnson Suleiman
The church, which faulted the silence of the presidency over the killings across the nation with specific reference to the killings in Southern Kaduna, wondered why anyone has not arrested the perpetrators of these crimes, even as it blamed the senseless killings on Buhari’s kinsmen.
The church said the outspokenness of Suleiman was due to his love for Nigeria, maintaining that he cannot be quiet in the face of the immoral happenings in the nation.
The statement added: “Only recently, God’s servant, Apostle Johnson Suleman, was forced to call on Christians all over Nigeria to defend themselves against these killers since the spate of killings has been on the rise.
“Interestingly, the call by the man of God for the Christians to take caution and defend themselves where necessary has become the core focus of the Nigerian government, despite the fact that it has evidently failed to protect her people. It is now determined to exploit the instruments of the state to go after the man of God.”
The church called on the Nigerian government to put a stop to the senseless attacks on Christian leaders, saying: “These are leaders and beacons of hope whose integrity and teachings have kept this country in unity and consistently given hope to millions of Nigerians faced with hunger, neglect, abuse and ill-treatment from the government they optimistically voted into power.”
DSS operatives
It added that the church has branches in over 51 countries in the world and that the churches in the nations have been directed to send the protest letter to the Nigerian embassies in those countries, enumerating the inhuman treatment and the harassment of Nigerian church leaders by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We like to unequivocally state that Apostle Johnson Suleman believes in the progress and unity of Nigeria, and this will remain the core of all his messages. However, no intimidation from the government will stop him from speaking the truth to the government, and standing in defense of the defenseless.
“We believe that the greater and brighter days of this country are very close-by, and God in His judgment will surely displace the enemies of his people, regardless of how highly placed they are.
“Apostle Johnson Suleman will continue praying for the good of Nigeria, and for the Almighty God to guide her leaders’ right,” the statement noted.
